KUCHAS Antanas

AntanasKuchas (Rhode. 1909). As a child, there was a Antanas craving for art, from childhood the dream of the artist's career. After Birе+ai public school, he studied at the Kaunas Art School in the Department of graphics.

In the artistic life Kuchas involved early. Since 1934, he was a constant participant of exhibitions, where his first graphic work ( 'Herald', 1934; 'matchmakers', 1936; 'Rupintoelis', 1937) have not gone unnoticed.

. A native of the village, he knew her life, so the village became the dominant theme in his work. Tosca, poverty, neglect is mirrored in the early works of the artist, in a graphic language which appear the awkwardness, unsure of the rhythm of lines ( 'Village', 1939).

. The real talent Kuchasa manifested in the field of artistic design of the book.

. Book illustration in Lithuania is clearly enriched with an appeal to her Kuchasa who created the classic lists of book graphics. Target design of the book is understood as the creation of an integral feature of an organism. Artist 'translates' the literary work, reproducing the meaning of the book on another-graphic-'instrumente'. The book Ayshbe 'gig' he began working as a student of art school and finished only in 1946. Select the book was not accidental, the origins of creativity Kuchasa go to the depths of the Lithuanian life, its nature, the traditions of folk art. The artist wanted to recreate the spirit of a past era, the life of the old village, to reproduce in prints good-natured narrative structure. Laconic, decorative treatment of figures corresponds laconic story. Life old Lithuanian village recreated the artist and illustrations for books S. е+emaitд? 'daughter in law' and in. Kreve 'Grandma's woes'. For each book Kuchas is relevant imagery, whether the book P. Tsvirka 'Sunset in Nikskom county', 'Collection of Lithuanian folk songs' B. Sruoga, 'Works' N. Nerys, a collection of 'Lithuanian Soviet poetry', a monograph on the artist or multiple albums. An interesting solution of each book promotes the use of ornament, its imaginative power. The artist does not copy and treats ornament creatively, with the same sense of beauty, action and taste that are characteristic of folk art. Various gradations of expression shaped ornament-lyric, epic, symbolic.

Kuchas - beautiful master font: he created many of his original designs. Font in the work of an artist is never used for themselves, and 'woven' in the illustration, poster, ex libris. High specification artist. By the favorite technique of wood engraving and linocut were added ( 'The artist in nature', 1943), watercolor and drawing ( "Gate of Kaunas Cathedral ', 1947), etching (' winter Vilnius ', 1953), color linocut (' First Snow. Vilnius. Shevchenko ', 1958). Rapid, relaxed manner increasingly began to take on the classic clarity and lightness.

Since 1959, AntanasKuchas-honored art worker of the Lithuanian SSR. Having taught for many years in the State Art Institute, he trained the younger generation of graphs, among them A. Makunayte, B. Demkute IN. Armalas.